January 8, 2023 Sunday Worship Service

Call to Worship Jeremiah 32:17
Hymn JBC # 240 Jesus Christ is risen today
The Lord’s Prayer
Offeratory Prayer
Scripture Luke 1:26~38
Prayer
Sermon “How will this be?”
https://youtu.be/9Bt7x5kOLSU
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 124 This is my Father’s world
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction

In today’s Bible passage, the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and with a greeting word “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you”(verse 28) predicts that she (Mary) would conceive Jesus Christ, the son of God.
This passage is one of the most popular readings at Christmas time because it is the scene of the announcement about the birth of Jesus Christ.
I am now in the series of preaching (message) from the Gospel of Luke from the beginning. Now is the time when Christmas has just passed, and according to the order of that message series, this passage was given to us today.
Though we are still in the aftermath of Christmas now, let us listen together to God's message from this passage today.

　In the “Gospel of Matthew”, the angel appears to Mary's husband Joseph (to be precise, they were still engaged).
When it became clear that Mary was pregnant through the Holy Spirit, Joseph, fearing that Mary could be accused of adultery, was secretly trying to disown her.
But the angel said to Joseph, "Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Give him the name Jesus. He will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph must have been encouraged and strengthened by the angel's words. And the angel's words must have convinced Joseph of God's will, so he took Mary as his wife.
In the Gospel of Luke, on the other hand, an angel appears to his wife Mary (again, precisely they are still engaged). The angel (Gabriel) first says to Mary, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you”.

It is written that Mary was “greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be”. (verse 29)
The Bible does not tell us any details about what kind of woman Mary was or what kind of family or lineage she came from.
At that time in Judea, marriages were usually arranged by their families (fathers). Therefore, it is likely that Mary and Joseph's marriage was not a "free love match," but rather, according to the custom of the time, decided upon by agreement by their families.

In those days, the position and status of women in particular was much lower than it is today, so we can imagine that Mary, too, would be in a vulnerable position and was not allowed to boldly express her opinions or wishes.
However, I think we can imagine too that Mary was a kind of very thoughtful person (who thought things over carefully and deeply) from the description of her being troubled (puzzled) at the angel’s greeting words but she “wondered (pondered on) what kind of greeting this might be.

"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you”～ this word itself is a very joyful news of blessing. But Mary deeply pondered on “what does it mean that such words have been given to me now?”
Now, we receive the Word of God through the Bible (through a message based on the words of the Bible). And in the words of the Bible, there are many parts about which we wonder "what do these words (stories) mean?" or don’t understand.
Mary's attitude teaches us that at such times, it is important for us to stop and think carefully and deeply, wondering "what does this mean?” rather than rushing to know the answers or conclusions, or trying to force yourself to interpret the part for your being convinced.
It is important sometimes to ponder the words of the Bible (the Word of God) even while questioning "what does this mean?”
Even if you don't know the answer right away, the meaning of the word may gradually become clear to you through such process of pondering the Bible’s words for a while.
I believe that such process itself is very important for us as a time of communion with God. Therefore, we would like to value a habit to spend as much time as possible pondering on the words of the Bible (the Word of God).

The angel calms Mary's fears by saying, "Mary, do not be afraid”. Feeling the great power of God directed toward her, Mary may have been afraid without realizing it by herself.
The Word of God calms one's fears and it gives peace. I believe that the angel's words removed the fear from Mary's heart and prepared her to better hear the message of God that was to be announced to her.
What the angel said next was astounding. Let me read the angel's words from verse 30.
“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Hearing the angel’s words, Mary said as follows.

“How will this be,” “since I am a virgin?”
“How will this be?”~ that is Mary’s response. Again, Mary was not yet in an official relationship as husband and wife.
Nevertheless, the angel said that Mary would give birth to a son, and that he would become "a great man," "the son of the Most High" and that "the Lord God would give him the throne of David" (he would become a king).

What the angel said “he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” was too great for Mary to accept or understand.
At that moment I believe that Mary was seeing her own small (weak) figure. "How could I, such a small being, give birth to a great man, a king who would reign over Israel forever?" Mary must have thought so, and was overwhelmed by the angel's words.
　However, the Lord certainly chose one woman named Mary, Joseph's fiancee and entrusted her with the important role of the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth.
As long as Mary focused her thoughts only on herself, it was incomprehensible.
Don’t we also have sometime such thought as "there is no way that I, such a small one, can do such (great) a thing or that can happen to me.”
But we should focus our thoughts on God's will, not our own, and to trust in God's will, not our own.
Because when we focus our thoughts on God and trust in His will not our own, then, we will be able to believe the message of the great God as "true thing that is addressed to ourselves”.

Since we can receive God's message through the Word of Scripture, let us focus our thoughts on God's will and not our own, and let us become believers in God.
God had already prepared a "sign" for Mary to be able to believe that what would happen to her was true. It was that Mary's relative, Elisabeth, had been pregnant for six months, even though she was at an old age.
In the previous passage of today’s part, the angel Gabriel appears to a priest named Zachariah and tells him that his elderly wife, Elisabeth, are going to give birth to a son.

The boy Elisabeth would give birth to would eventually become John the Baptist, the man who would prepare the way for Jesus' ministry.
For Mary, Elisabeth was like a "companion (company)" with whom she could share what the Lord God had done.
　And also, knowing that God's miracles had already taken place through Elisabeth, I believe that Mary was able to all the more believe that the angel's message to her was true.
The Lord God does not wish that we, as believers, have faith or believe just by oneself.God provides us with the friends of faith and the family of faith whom we need in order to know God more deeply and to strengthen our faith.
We cannot maintain or grow in faith alone. We can encourage and strengthen each other's faith in fellowship with others, especially with Christians who are brothers and sisters in the same church, the family of faith.
We would like to cherish the friends of faith and family of faith that God gives us, and we want to thank God for the grace to live in the fellowship of faith.

Hearing the words of the angel Gabriel, Mary said as follows.
“I am the Lord’s servant,”, “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

　These are the words of Mary's trust and faith in the Lord. They are also the words of Mary's resolution to offer herself to the Lord.
“May your word to me be fulfilled” are the words of Mary’s belief that she believe that God is going to realize a great thing through her.
　Today we would like to desire that, like these words of Mary, we may be used for what God intends to accomplish through us.
With the words of Mary, let us resolve today, "may your word to me be fulfilled. May the plan the Lord God is working out through us may be fulfilled.”
God has wonderful plans for each of us and for our church. We can believe that.
Trusting in the Lord, and making a resolution "to live for the Lord" and receiving "the joy of the Lord's presence with us", let us walk in faith again this week.